Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Despite their name, which sounds like a heavy metal band, and their insistence to call themselves "rock" rather than the more pejorative "pop", this husband and wife duo now based in Memphis have succeeded in making an exceptionally good acoustic-tinged pop album. Todd and Emily Marriott have a winning way with wistful melody and on occasions, like the eerily haunting "I Am Everyone", create top rate alt pop anthems. Todd's arrangements, often underpinned by his acoustic guitar, are neatly executed though the capper is Emily's attention-grabbing voice, a tremulous sound that resembles a cross between Julie Miller and Leigh Nash. They are no slouch in the lyric department either, the opener "Shallow Talk" as perceptive a putdown of the tendency to swap clichés and platitudes instead of engaging in real communication as you're ever likely to hear. You're going to be hearing these guys on Cross Rhythms radio and, once Mike Rimmer interviews them in Nashville, reading about them on these pages. So get in on the ground floor and investigate one of the freshest new acts to come out of the vast pool of independent releases for quite awhile.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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